Creative Every Day Check-In: June 7-13
June 7th, 2010, 24 Comments
This weekly check-in post is a place for Creative Every Day Challenge participants to share their creative activities.
Join in the Challenge: You can sign up for the 2010 Creative Every Day Challenge anytime! Find out more and fill out the sign-up form here to join in!
Ways to share: Once you've signed up, you can leave a comment on this post and/or use the "Mr. Linky" widget below to link to a blog post(s) about your creative activities during the days of 6/7/10 - 6/13/10.
The widget below is an optional method of sharing your creativity that makes it easier for others to check out what you're up to. You can use it to link to a blog post (or posts) or flickr image during the week listed. Or if you have a bunch of posts and don't want to link to all of them, you can link to your main blog page once. Do it in a way that makes sense and is fun for you! If you're unsure about how to use the widget, check out the "How to use the Mr. Linky widget" section on the Creative Every Day Challenge page. (If you're reading this in a RSS reader or email subscription, you will not see the "Mr. Linky widget", so click on over to the blog to use it.) If the Mr. Linky widget is missing from this blog post, it's probably a problem with their server and it will come back as soon as it's fixed. You can always leave your link in the comments.
You can also take advantage of the great CED flickr group to post your images and see what others are up to. If you're on Twitter, there's a growing Twitter list of CED participants and you can use the hashtag #CED2010 to help others find your Creative Every Day tweets!
Theme: The (totally optional) theme for June's theme is Bliss. I'll be posting about the theme throughout the month and you can feel free to use it to inspire your creations, follow your own muse, or do some combination. You can find out more about this month's theme and some prompts to get you started with June's theme here.
Happy Creating!
Pretend you are dancing or singing a picture. A worker or painter should enjoy his work, else the observer will not enjoy it. ~Robert Henri
Leaving a Trail of Bliss Behind You
June 5th, 2010, 18 Comments
I was feeling a little blue this morning when I woke up, so when I left to do some errands, I was inspired by the bliss theme to add a little fun, adventure, and bliss-spreading into the day.
I took a couple pieces of chalk, put them in a plastic bag, and tucked them into my purse. I parked in a central location and as I walked around doing my errands, I occasionally stopped and stealthily added a chalk heart to the sidewalk and snapped a pic.
They will most likely get washed away by the rain pretty quick, but I hope they'll add a smile to someone's day!
What are some fun, creative ways you could spread some bliss around?
Little Pockets of Bliss
June 3rd, 2010, 20 Comments
Sometimes, the simplest way to grow the joy around you is to notice all the little bits of bliss around you. Try this: Take out a piece of paper or your sketchbook and number 1 - 20. Then list 20 little things that make you happy. They could be teeny tiny things like rasberry jam on toasted english muffins or the peony that just bloomed in your backyard. Or they could be larger things like your daughter or your beloved pet. Write the first twenty things that come to your mind. Bonus points for bringing your list up to 50! or 100!
It could also be an ongoing list, like a grocery list that you keep adding to as you think of things. You might keep a little piece of paper folded in your wallet that you can add to or keep your list in a moleskine notebook that travels in your purse. I love the idea of having a list of bliss tucked in your pocket!
Just noticing the little things that bring you joy, tends to bring even more joy in. So start listing! Maybe even start a small list in the comments of 5 things!
Here's five of mine for today: silly songs from the hubster to wake me up the morning, a flower petaled sidewalk, Emma the cat snoozing in the window seat, clean sheets, cold lemonade.
Creative Every Day Check-In: May 31 – June 6
May 31st, 2010, 21 Comments
This weekly check-in post is a place for Creative Every Day Challenge participants to share their creative activities.
Join in the Challenge: You can sign up for the 2010 Creative Every Day Challenge anytime! Find out more and fill out the sign-up form here to join in!
Ways to share: Once you've signed up, you can leave a comment on this post and/or use the "Mr. Linky" widget below to link to a blog post(s) about your creative activities during the days of 5/31/10 - 6/6/10.
The widget below is an optional method of sharing your creativity that makes it easier for others to check out what you're up to. You can use it to link to a blog post (or posts) or flickr image during the week listed. Or if you have a bunch of posts and don't want to link to all of them, you can link to your main blog page once. Do it in a way that makes sense and is fun for you! If you're unsure about how to use the widget, check out the "How to use the Mr. Linky widget" section on the Creative Every Day Challenge page. (If you're reading this in a RSS reader or email subscription, you will not see the "Mr. Linky widget", so click on over to the blog to use it.) If the Mr. Linky widget is missing from this blog post, it's probably a problem with their server and it will come back as soon as it's fixed. You can always leave your link in the comments.
You can also take advantage of the great CED flickr group to post your images and see what others are up to. If you're on Twitter, there's a growing Twitter list of CED participants and you can use the hashtag #CED2010 to help others find your Creative Every Day tweets!
Theme: The (totally optional) theme for May's theme is Intuition and June's theme is Bliss. I'll be posting about the theme throughout the month and you can feel free to use it to inspire your creations, follow your own muse, or do some combination. You can find out more about this month's theme and some prompts to get you started with May's theme here and June's theme here.
Happy Creating!
We are having experiences all the time which may on occasion render some sense of this, a little intuition of where your bliss is. Grab it. No one can tell you what it is going to be. You have to learn to recognize your own depth. All the time. It is miraculous. ~Joseph Campbell
Creative Every Day theme for June: Bliss
May 28th, 2010, 24 Comments
At the end of each month I will announce the totally optional theme for the following month. June 2010's theme will be: Bliss. You can hear me talk a little bit about it in the video above. I thought it was such perfect synchronicity that The Happy Book (part of Jamie Ridler's traveling book group) made it's way to me the same week I'd be announcing Junes' theme! Here's the little painting I did in The Happy Book after I made the video.
As always, this month's theme for the Creative Every Day Challenge is totally optional. Use it if it sparks you, continue being creative every day in your own way if it doesn't, or do something in between.
I'm thinking of this theme in terms of exploring your bliss in creative ways, writing about it, making art that brings you joy, and finding the bliss in your everyday life. There are endless ways you can play with the theme and I'm open to any interpretation.
I'll be posting about the theme throughout the month on the blog to help keep you inspired. You can use the posts here for jumping off points or interpret the theme in your own creative way. If you need some suggestions, here are a few ideas to get you started. You could:
- *Explore the idea of bliss in writing. Perhaps write about your ideal day.
- *What color is joy to you? Use that in a painting.
- *Make lists of what makes you happy and bring more of those things into your everyday life.
- *Make art for the pure sensory pleasure about it. Play with fingerpaints, crayons, and glitter glue!
- *Create pieces that express the feeling of pure bliss.
- *Notice if your space feels blissful and if there are small changes you could make to increase that feeling.
- *Smile as you create. Notice how it affects your work.
- *Bring some silliness into your work.
- *What mediums speak joy to you? Create with those things.
How to use the CED themes:
If you're feeling creatively stuck or blocked at any point during the month, use the theme as a source of inspiration to get you moving. Feel free to focus on the theme in your creative activities for the entire month or as much as you'd like.
Using the theme is entirely optional for CED participants. Use it if it inspires you, ignore it if it doesn't. I'll be sharing posts throughout the month around the theme (among other things) to get you thinking about how to incorporate it into your life. I'd love to hear how you use the theme in your creative world.
And have fun with it!
Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors for you where there were only walls ~Joseph Campbell
Intuitive Art Resources
May 26th, 2010, 5 Comments
What are some of your favorite intuitive art resources? I thought I'd share some of mine and see if you guys had any to share too.
Books:
Life, Paint, and Passion by Stewart Cubley and Michele Cassou
Trust the Process: An Artist's Guide to Letting Go Shaun McNiff
No More Secondhand Art by Peter London
Painting from the Source by Aviva Gold
Art from Intuition by Dean Nimmer
And there are loads more books to read, but that's a start. I've taken a lot of classes on intuitive art making, including one with Aviva Gold. Every teacher has a slightly different approach, but I generally enjoy the process and like learning from different folks. I'd love to take a class with the fabulous Chris Zydel!
Other intuitive art resources:
An old post about letting your art speak to you.
Another old post about my painting of Ophelia, that started with a dream and continued as I followed my intuition.
A video of artist, Jonas Gerard painting in an intuitive fashion:
I'll be announcing June's theme shortly (holy moly! I can't believe it's nearly June!!)
Featured on CRESCENDOh
May 25th, 2010, One Comment
Cool beans! The creative fire-sparkler, Connie Hozvicka kindly featured my video collage tutorial in her guest curatorial duties at CRESCENDOh, the beautiful site of Jenny Doh. You can read Connie's inspiring Art Saves story on CRESCENDoh, here. Thank you, Connie!
p.s. Connie is having a sale on her fabulous Art Journal Love e-course through May 30th!
Creative Every Day Check-In: May 24-30
May 24th, 2010, 28 Comments
This weekly check-in post is a place for Creative Every Day Challenge participants to share their creative activities.
Join in the Challenge: You can sign up for the 2010 Creative Every Day Challenge anytime! Find out more and fill out the sign-up form here to join in!
Ways to share: Once you've signed up, you can leave a comment on this post and/or use the "Mr. Linky" widget below to link to a blog post(s) about your creative activities during the days of 5/24/10 - 5/30/10.
The widget below is an optional method of sharing your creativity that makes it easier for others to check out what you're up to. You can use it to link to a blog post (or posts) or flickr image during the week listed. Or if you have a bunch of posts and don't want to link to all of them, you can link to your main blog page once. Do it in a way that makes sense and is fun for you! If you're unsure about how to use the widget, check out the "How to use the Mr. Linky widget" section on the Creative Every Day Challenge page. (If you're reading this in a RSS reader or email subscription, you will not see the "Mr. Linky widget", so click on over to the blog to use it.) If the Mr. Linky widget is missing from this blog post, it's probably a problem with their server and it will come back as soon as it's fixed. You can always leave your link in the comments.
You can also take advantage of the great CED flickr group to post your images and see what others are up to. If you're on Twitter, there's a growing Twitter list of CED participants and you can use the hashtag #CED2010 to help others find your Creative Every Day tweets!
Theme: The (totally optional) theme for April's theme is Intuition. I'll be posting about the theme throughout the month and you can feel free to use it to inspire your creations, follow your own muse, or do some combination. You can find out more about this month's theme and some prompts to get you started with it here.
Happy Creating!
I believe in intuition and inspiration... At times I feel certain I am right while not knowing the reason. ~Albert Einstein
Releasing Fears
May 19th, 2010, 18 Comments
I think one of the stumbling blocks to creating intuitively is fear. Actually, it's a stumbling block for any kind of creativity. But it's not a road block. Meaning, it might make you stumble, but it doesn't have to make you stop in your tracks. And even more interestingly, you can use these fears as a way in.
What happens when you can get in touch with your fears, notice them, learn from them and then create with what you find? Fear can be powerful, but through looking into it, it can be transformative and a source of power and strength in you.
I was contemplating all this after listening to Goddess Leonie's beautiful Releasing Fears meditation. I just adore Leonie's voice and her gentle way of leading you deeper into yourself. After listening to the meditation, I had a strong urge to paint the piece above. I followed my intuition as it led me to the image and the way to create it. And I felt so much better after I'd completed it.
How can you use your fears as a way in? If you asked your fears what they have to teach you, what might they say? How might it feel to take in that information and then let go of the fear? What might your fears inspire you to create?
Along with the Releasing Fears meditation, I also highly recommend the Divine Dreaming meditation if you have any trouble sleeping or just want a soothing meditation to relax to. And if you're looking for more of the beautiful and amazing Goddess Leonie, check out her Creative Goddess e-course, which begins on the 30th of May. Leonie rocks my socks. You can get all the details for her class here.
Creative Every Day Check-In: May 17-23
May 17th, 2010, 30 Comments
This weekly check-in post is a place for Creative Every Day Challenge participants to share their creative activities.
Join in the Challenge: You can sign up for the 2010 Creative Every Day Challenge anytime! Find out more and fill out the sign-up form here to join in!
Ways to share: Once you've signed up, you can leave a comment on this post and/or use the "Mr. Linky" widget below to link to a blog post(s) about your creative activities during the days of 5/17/10 - 5/23/10.
The widget below is an optional method of sharing your creativity that makes it easier for others to check out what you're up to. You can use it to link to a blog post (or posts) or flickr image during the week listed. Or if you have a bunch of posts and don't want to link to all of them, you can link to your main blog page once. Do it in a way that makes sense and is fun for you! If you're unsure about how to use the widget, check out the "How to use the Mr. Linky widget" section on the Creative Every Day Challenge page. (If you're reading this in a RSS reader or email subscription, you will not see the "Mr. Linky widget", so click on over to the blog to use it.) If the Mr. Linky widget is missing from this blog post, it's probably a problem with their server and it will come back as soon as it's fixed. You can always leave your link in the comments.
You can also take advantage of the great CED flickr group to post your images and see what others are up to. If you're on Twitter, there's a growing Twitter list of CED participants and you can use the hashtag #CED2010 to help others find your Creative Every Day tweets!
Theme: The (totally optional) theme for April's theme is Intuition. I'll be posting about the theme throughout the month and you can feel free to use it to inspire your creations, follow your own muse, or do some combination. You can find out more about this month's theme and some prompts to get you started with it here.
Happy Creating!
If you let your intuitive self take hold in the beginning of a work, a very beautiful “happening” might emerge. You can then use your intellectual self to refine where necessary. Barbara L. Siegal
